Stuff that's been going on?

23rd February - Went down to Hamilton for the weekend, as there was no wind in Auckland, and did a dawn mission to Raglan on Sunday morning. The surf was pumping on Saturday, with 4 ft sets and SE offshores, so was expecting similar waves, and wasn't disappointed. Scored uncrowded 2-4 ft surf at Indicators, got a few waves, bit rusty, but still scored some good waves, including one of the largest ones at 3ft (for those non-surfers thats head high surf) and with the low tide, the waves were really sucking up and walling up steep, perfect...

14th November - I got made redundant! I don't have to work this summer! Hows that? I can save more money than anticipated by March because of this. But all set to go overseas at the end of March. The weather had got heaps better, and its mostly sunny, hot 25 degrees, and afternoon sea breezes, perfect for my big kite!

My back has not been great after I hurt it, and still have the odd spasm, but am having acupuncture and massage treatment which is helping heaps. So I am regulating how often and how long I go out for, as the 4-5 hour sessions tend to do my back in.

Labour Weekend - Went down to Gisborne with friends for the Wine and Food festival, managed to aquire some appreciation for different wines.

15th October - What's been happening at the end of winter? Well, Mark got a new job at Foodtown doing graveyard shifts, after doing a nice "exit interview" and quitting at McD's but has been really quiet in the last 2 weeks, but is well sorted for sumer with a real big kite(20m Aero), and his 12m X2(both bright red). Expecting big things from Mark this summer, he'll get out more than the rest of us, and now has enough kites to not miss a day! Alan has been otherwise occupied, Susan has been otherwise occupied (likely in the same bedroom), Lance has been going hard all winter and it's showing(Still on his blue and yellow 13.5 Ar5 and pink R3 9m Naish. Hamish is stoked on his new quiver of black and white Airblasts and has been getting out a fair bit, and I have been out with a back injury for a month, and it's almost right, but still aches a bit if I sit for a long time. (doesn't get sore from kiting). I have changed to Naish X2 kites for the summer. (big blue 18m X2, and a yellow 12m X2). Bluey has been working too hard (he reckons) and hasn't been out much over winter, but is all geared up with X2's for summer(All red kites I think). Now daylight savings is here, it's not getting dark till 8pm now. Looks like the crew will get it's first Northerly session all together tonight (fingers crossed!).

27th September - (not really an event) - scored myself a 18m X2, completing my planned quiver, hopefully I'll get to try it this weekend, being powered in 10 knots will be fun... 10 knots is not quite enough for my 12.

17th September - Mark scored himself bluey's 20m Aero, for light wind duty.. score.. Hamish has changed gear too, now on my 11.8 and 8.4 kites.. Stack them for low wind grunt ;-)

21st September - Back on the water after just about 2 months of pain and physio.

20th August - Mark got himself a new kite, a red 12m X2, he loves it already..

6th August - I did something very bad to my back.

17th June - Just ot back from 2 weeks in Rarotonga with my g/f. Much needed holiday, very relaxing, got some kitesurfing in too.

16th March - I've bought a new board, it's a 5'6" underground directional, rather like Marks! , for the same sort of money you can buy a secondhand surfboard for!! Rode it in the weekend and it's really good.. bit bumpy through chop, but I think my stance wasn't quite right, cause it was smooth in one direction and a bit bumpy in the other...

25 January - 2002 Kiteboard Nationals, Mt Maunganui..

3 February - Going to Raratonga in June for 2 weeks, maybe I'll get some kitesurfing in, or surfing, but it's going to mainly be a holiday to wind down, after the stresses of working...

8 January - I am housesitting at Piha beach with my girlfriend, 1 minute walk from South Piha beach till the 13th. I've had a couple of good sessions out here, when everyone else has gone home. I'm on holiday till the 13th !

28 December - Not much happening, I did a Novell Netware training course for a week before Christmas, paid for by my company, and have a exam to sit sometime in January. I have now made a second solid ply board, this time it's a 136cm x 36cm design(extreme), to hold some serious power. Only ridden it once so far, and wasn't powered well (5-15 knots with my LF 8.5), but is showing promise. My 150cm board is still my favourite, it can hold lots of power, and is comfortable to ride in chop, and jumps well...

12 November - Finished making a solid 9mm ply wakeboard, based on Lance's construction methods, and it has worked well... Flex in the board is a weird sensation, but makes the board very comfortable to ride... I think I'll call it DRC for Dynamic Rocker Control ;-), and it is very fast. I get much more power out of a kite by going very fast with this board.

15th October - been snowboarding down at Whakapapa for 2 days, good snow, no crowds, really good fun..

13th October - Found out Grant and Davinya are not returning from overseas to work in NZ, they are staying in Scotland. Got a few pics of them from their trip so I'm adding them to my album..

7th October - The 169cm wakeboard (styled on the Litewave 169 wakestyle) was a sucess, xtremely fast, good upwind, and lots of fun! Need to reinforce the footstrap mounts as screws pull out too easy and then the board fills with water! My 90kg tester cracked the deck of my board in the heel area due to no ribs in the area. The board is very smooth through chop, as good as a directional, and I have tested it at Piha in waves, very powered up in 25 knots, and it holds it's edge very well, even in gusts which should have been lifting me clear of the water and deep downwind...

28th September - Still constructing another wakeboard, bought plywood, and made one(too big) 45x 173 x 2cm, but stuffed up the rocker ( 6cm in the tips) so started another one ( 169 x 42 x 2cm ) with 3.5cm of rocker. Should be a very fast board..and I'm painting it in 'Grants speed Yellow' !, to make it distinctive...bought some polyethelene foam for the deck foot pads..
Expecting my mate Grant back from his travels in the next month some time, he's travelling around Asia and the pacific, and is returning to the UK, then coming back to NZ with residency (hopefully!). He took his wakeboard and a 6.5m foil (easy to travel with) , but hasn't had much time so far (reports from him are sketchy, something about Davinya(his G/f) crashing a jetski ?!?) but he has have a few kitesurfs in foreign countries now...

14th September - Sold the Stamos, bought a 11.8 Wipika Airblast! I have only test flown it so far. I am making a wakeboard this week, so fingers croosed for the weekend.. My G/f bought a new car, all that searching paid off. I'm in a flat now, one flatmate, Alan, and he also kitesurfs. The flat is big enough for the both of us + all the gear!

18th August - Went out at Eastern beach, had some fun out there with 14-20 knots with my Liquidforce 8.5, and my 165cm wakestyle board, really comfortable... no jumps but I wasn't really trying, I needed just a good clean session with no disasters! Alan was out soon after with his 13.5 Naish and charging! Really good session, NE despite a NW forecast! Sunday was good too, but I was helping my g/f look for cars..

23 July - This month has been crap for wind, so haven't been out much, but I've started a new job with PriceWaterHouseCoopers in Auckland city, as a Network administration assistant.

24th June - Luckily I'm still here to write about it... I had a hideous kitesurfing accident, recovering now, one more trip to the hospital and I'm all fixed up... trying to jump over Pt Chev is not good for your health.

16th June - Got a replacement 8m Stamos, the demo one was not flying well and stitching was breaking, yet to fly it but have tried Windtools teamrider Shauns Stamos, and it really flys well in light winds. Have done a second 165cm twin tip, but it's not as sucessful as my first (so far) it's harder to ride... I'm on my last couple of weeks at tech, and no more study for me... I'll have a degree!

31st May - I've been hunting around for a cheap(well cheaper than normal) light wind kite, and have considered a 15.5AR5, a ARC 11.2 and a WIndtools Stamos 8.0. After seeing how slow a 15.5AR5 is, I've gone off that idea( I did find some cheap ones at $1600)
I like the idea of the Stamos, you can use it as a straight foil and you can also inflate the bags to make it permanantly water relaunchable. It works in two line with a centre depower line, that depowers more than a Naish, so for a low wind kite it has a good range (6-16 knots) probably 8-14 for me, going upwind...There is a 10m Stamos, but it's only just come out, and it's windrange isn't any lower, you can just park the kite earlier.

Anyway several distributors called me up, the price of a new Stamos is $2300, and I found demo kites for $1600, and I found one for $1400 from KiwiInMotion in Tauranga(with lines and bar), so I bought it!. It's in better condition than my 2 month old Liquidforce (only one small hole), and it's orange and white.

29th May - started glassing my board and arrghh the resin went off too quick. Not all is lost but it's not as tidy as my first one. (I am trying to rush it too much)

25th May - after experiencing my new kiteboard, I am starting on the other 6'4" blank. It's going to be another twin tip, and much thinner, and 165cm x 40cm x 3.8cm, with extra flip in the nose and release edges.

21st May - have spent 2 weekends making a kiteboard, and as the weather has been crap (40-50 knot NE) I got it done quicker! My board is excellent! Well I'm on my last 6 weeks of tech, and then it's all over.

28th April - Few more trips to the boating supply store and I have my kite setup sorted! I have been trying to find time to go kitesurfing, but have had to do more project work (my final paper for Unitec).

31st March - Tried out my kite several times this week, and Saturday was 10-12 knots and just enough to tow me along on my board lying down! My board isn't floaty enough for light wind underpowered conditions! Tried my kite in 15 knots with 20 knot gusts and it's fully powered up and trying to lift me in the overhead position... scary!
I think I need 4 lines to control the power. I think a floatier board would make it easier too...

14th March - Went and watched some kitsurfing today, damn it looks like fun, it was just over 15 knots and my mate was going well! Annoying that I have to sit at the sideline till my ear heals... I made my first kitesurfing gear purchase today, had to buy new (gasp expensive) as no secondhand gear is available yet, the sport is too young. I settled on a Liquid Force(Wipika copy) 8.5m kite, which should be good in most conditions. Have ruled out the night surfing idea, we came soo close o doing it, but needed a generator really, to avoid having to buy expensive lights. The best compromise would have been 250W mecury vapour lights at $70 each. 2 would have been sufficient.

March 2001 - Out of action due to a burst eardrum. It's been a great summer, with Oneils beach doing it's best... Piha has been as ratshit as ever. Had lots of enquiries about surf schools from overseas visitors, seems like a heap of people come to NZ during our summer. Locally, I know Raglan Surf Co. runs a board /wetsuit hire thing out at Wainui beach (next to Manu bay) and they would be able to recommend a training option.

Investigating the possibility of night surfing at Raglan's Manu bay, floodlighting it with some very high powered Tungsten Halide lighting, and either buying or making a 240V inverter to power these beasts. There are a whole load of issues which come with doing this :

- would the locals be pissed off

- would heaps of people turn up?

- what would happen if you turned the lights off?

- It would make the local news!

- People would want to borrow the equipment?

February 2001- Raglan has has more than the average number of swells for summer. I scored 3 barrels on a awesome day at Indicators, two tubes on one wave...

December 28 - Crap surf out at Whatipu, which could be attributed to the later known fact that there was a NW swell and a Sw swell, making things very confused

December 18th - 22nd - been surfing at Anawhata and Oneils beaches every night, all outstanding surf in the 4-5 foot region, and seen a few sharks around, hence the total lack of crowds this week!

12 December - Got all my results of my exams, all passed, Yaah!
Some loser stole my 5-4-3 billabong wetsuit this week, off the washing line, booo..

27th November - Yaaahh ! tech's out for the summer, surfing is in!

1st November - Well haven't been doing much but tech work recently, had two surfs up at Mangwhai heads, which were not bad, 2-3 foot stuff clean offshore

29th October - Bought a new surfboard 6'6 HB 19 1/2 wide 2 1/2 thick, which goes suprisingly well, just harder to catch waves wth.

25th October - Tried out a secret spot out Port Waikato way, but the reef wasn't working well, but the beach break had some awesome barrels going on...

21st October - Bought a new car, after selling my 84 Trueno GT apex, it wasn't practical enough for everyday transport, and was rusty. My new car is what you class as a MPV, it's a Mitsi RVR.

2nd May - Planning a trip to Fiji either at the end of the semester or end of year... looking for people with around $700 or $800 to go....!

23 June - Yaah finally finished the semester, and exams are over. Unfortunately and ironically, I have time to go surfing now but my car has died (the engine is stuffed, running permanently on 2 cylinders) so I can't.

24 June - Eventually got out to Piha today, 1 - 2.5 foot, offshore, but too small to be fun, and there were a few other people (read dropins) out too. North Piha is always better than South when small, so there were nice little left and right peaks. really needed a mal though.

25th June(Sunday) - Supposed to be putting a new engine in my car today, but we missed out on picking it up, so I have to wait for another one from Japan.(Fustrating.) Trip to Fiji hasn't eventuated due to current crisis, and the Quiksilver pro World champs are on there too. Middle of the year is the best time to go, as it is low season (dry) and has consistent waves and light trade winds, December brings lots of small waves 2-3 foot, and less consistent wind.

27th June - La Ninia is back and Piha was great today (small 2 ft)

28th June - Piha was primo, got excellent waves at North Piha 3 - 4 foot solid and firing, good long walls!

29th June - South Piha was ok, bit of a strong easterly, but ok

30th June - heading up to Mathesons bay (Daniels reef), up north for some of this east coast swell !! Yep, there was swell, Orewa was looking 1-2 foot and brilliant for longboarding, just an unbelievably long peeling line on half tide. But that's not for me, I wanted to sample some reefs, although I got a closer examination of reef than I should have. Daniels reef was disappointing, not really breaking properly. Goat Island was slightly onshore but a great walling fast right hander, sucking over a ledge! Got dragged across the reef twice before the tide was higher. Got dings in my board to prove it too!

18th July - Went to North Piha today, and was out in good 2 foot waves, which had great form. There aren't many people out on a weekday so it's all good! We have had a month of offshore winds now, and Raglan hasn't been firing for a month, so I'm dying to get down there... soon as there's some swell. All these northerly winds are ruining the ski season though.

19th July - no replacement engine available for my car, so I'm taking it apart to fix..

25th July - No surfing but, hey, I fixed my car, now with cylinder head back on and all valves intact, it's going really well.

31st July - Dawnie to Raglan, got there, and were disappointed by 2-3 foot waves, and cross shore conditions. We went out anyway at Indicators, where the waves turned out to be better than we thought. A few barrel like sections and a few bigger 4 foot waves were coming through. Unfortunately my board became detached from my leg rope, and my board washed in on to the rocks with a set wave, resulting in me having to swim in on to the rocks to retrieve my now battered board...

3th September - Oops, hell I've missed a whole month, studying.. :-( Although I do have a new car now, well it's older than my last one, it's a ' 84 Toyota Trueno GT Apex, or for those in the know, a AE86 with a 4AGE!!

5th September - Jeeze I have nothing to report, except withdrawal symptoms from not surfing....